Touching Innocence
by Shini02
Summary: Oneshot. Touching really can bring people, or in this case wolves, closer together. TsumexToboe.


**Disclaimer:** I don't own Wolf's Rain. I don't own Toboe and Tsume, either. I'd like to own Toboe, but I don't. So don't sue me.

* * *

**Touching Innocence**

The skies had been so dark lately, sometimes it was even hard to tell day from night. Even if they were travelling through lush medows the last few days, the skies were always so dark. So dead. Always a dark shade of gray; the polution of the dying world becoming just a little too much for the once bright blue vastness. Though this night was different. The dark cloud hanging over them the last few days seemed to keep moving on as they stopped to rest. As the darkness was stripped from the sky, stars shone along side a brilliant half moon. There was a haze still clinging to the sky, clutching onto it like a lifeline, but it was nothing that could hide away the stars or the moon's brilliance.

Inside a small cave at the edge of a forest, the small pack of wolves rested. The night was the same as every night was; damp and cold. Kiba lay close by the mouth of the cave while the other three stayed closer to the back and walls. The only sound filling the cave at the present time was shallow breathing of the wolves. That silence lasted for a long moment before a small jingle broke the serenity. A small whimper and a low mumble followed.

"Where do you think you're going?" Tsume had not been sleeping. It still far too early for in the night for him to sleep. The gray wolf lifted his head from his crossed front legs and glanced dully over at the source of the noise.

"Uhm..." Toboe hesitantly spoke up, keeping his gaze locked onto his front paws. "Out?" He questioned the older wolf more so than answered him.

"No, you're not." Tsume said sternly, protectiveness surfacing. He wasn't about to let the pup go out on his own in the middle of nowhere.

The younger wolf's ears started to fall back against his head, "I won't go far... I just want to--"

"No."

"But--"

"No." Tsume was stubborn and Toboe should have known better than to try and stand his ground against him. The gray wolf always had the authority when it came to what the red wolf was allowed to do. It had been that way since they met; Tsume lead and Toboe followed. And of course, he was obediant to every one of Tsume's commands and requests... It was in his nature.

The youngest wolf let out a sigh and sat himself onto the floor of the cave. "Please, Tsume?" Desperate times called for desperate measures, and begging always worked on humans... Maybe it would work on Tsume, too.

Tsume growled in frustration, "I've already said "no" three times. I'm not repeating it again."

"Oh, will you two knock it off, already!" Hige suddenly whined from not too far away, lazily lifting his head. He attempted a glare at the other two wolves, but found it too much trouble at the moment. "I'm trying to sleep." He confirmed his statement with a yawn before laying his head back down.

Tsume growled at the timber wolf. Hige simply raised his brow with little enthusiasm. "If the runt wants to go, let him go."

Toboe looked at Hige, then back to Tsume. If only one could literally glare daggers... Toboe was certain Hige would have been pinned to the cave wall by all of his vital organs. "It's ok," the pup spoke up again, ears back against his head. He could sense the tension forming around Tsume; he didn't want to make him angry or frustrated. He whimpered again instead of sighing.

"I think he's mature enough to take a walk." Kiba lifted his head as he spoke, bringing his bright golden eyes to look at the other two wolves. Toboe's ears perked up when Kiba complimented him.

Tsume rose up slowly, sitting himself up only so he could glare at Kiba better. "I said no. He's not going out there in the middle of the night alone." He was silent for a moment, pausing before, "I'll go with him."

"I can go alone--" Toboe stopped speaking when he heard the growl raising in the gray wolf's throat. His ears fell back against his head again.

"As long as he doesn't wander off too far, what's the harm?" Hige spoke again, yawning at the end of his sentence and putting a paw over his muzzle.

Kiba chuckled a little and raised his brow in amusement. "As much as I hate to admit it, Hige has a point. There would be no harm in letting him go off on his own for a bit." Had wolfen features allowed a grin, Kiba would have sported a smug one while he added, "unlike someone we can be assured he'll come back."

Tsume growled again, louder than before and a lot fiercer. After a moment he fell silent and he flopped back down onto the ground. "Fine. Let him do what he wants. It's not like I care," the oldest wolf mumbled, closing his eyes in arrogance as though it would block out the world.

"Oh give it up already," Hige mumbled. Tsume huffed in response. Toboe looked on at the older wolf and felt the urge to whimper. Though instead he shifted onto his feet and silently padded out of the cave. Tsume had said it was ok after all... Even if he had been nasty about it, he had been given the permission he wanted.

When the soft jingle of Toboe's bracelets were out of hearing range, Tsume sighed. "Stupid kid..."

Hige opened his eyes for a brief moment. He was about ready to comment again just to get under the gray wolf's skin when Kiba cut him off with a glare that could put Tsume's to shame. Somethings were better left unsaid, and sometimes it was best to let sleeping dogs lie... Or in this case, let angry wolves be.

The whole duration of his ten minute walk, Toboe walked with his head hung and his ears back against his head. In the end when Tsume told him to go, he hadn't wanted to because he knew his older companion had only said he could because he was angry. But had Toboe stayed, he knew Tsume would have gotten even angrier. There was just no pleasing the grey wolf most of the time.

Deciding he had gone far enough, the pup stopped near a tree. He stared down at the ground for a moment before lifting his head to look towards the sky. He let out a small, somewhat happy sigh as he looked at the half moon. It wasn't as energizing or beautiful as a full moon, but it was still a pleasant sight to see. Toboe shook himself from his reverie, remembering why he had originally wanted to come out here alone. Quickly he took one last look around, and sniffed at the air to make sure he hadn't been followed. When he was sure that he was alone he tilted his head back again, at the same time raising his hind leg. He started to scratch at his neck, though his movements weren't fevered as though he had an itch. He was going slow, almost as though he was trying to pet himself. Which he was... It was his little secret and his guilty thrill, but the young pup still ached for a human's touch. In truth, he ached for any kind of caress. He missed the feeling of warm hands rubbing him in the right spots, caressing his body and giving him a type of serenity he was sure nothing else could give him.

He stopped his slow scratching and returned to a regular sitting position. It wasn't working. It wasn't the same. Touching himself like that wasn't the same as another stroking him in such a way. He walked over to the tree he had seated himself near and changed into his human form. He sighed and brought his knees to his chest, resting his chin onto his kneecaps. This hadn't been the first time he tried this, but being the child he was he was certain sooner or later he would get it right and it'd feel the way it was supposed to. He told himself that again, but this time even he had his doubts. The sensations hadn't changed and in truth he was getting frustrated with himself.

Toboe pushed his face against his knees now, bringing his arms up to craddle his head. A deep sigh escaped his mouth and he closed his eyes. _'Not gonna cry, not gonna cry...'_ he told himself over and over again. He promised himself awhile back he wouldn't whine or cry anymore. He wanted to show the others he wasn't the baby they all thought he was. But if he cried out of frustration over this... well, he'd just prove them right.

Had the pup not been so intent on his goal, he would have noticed the older male not too far away from him. Tsume sighed and shook his head. How many times had he told Toboe to check for scents downwind too? Tsume had watched as Toboe stroked himself slowly, eyebrow raised all the while. Was he actually trying to...? Knowing Toboe, he probably was. Tsume found himself glaring at nothing, cursing the old hag once again for taming the wolf cub.

When Tsume noticed Toboe change and put his head against his knees, he knew what was coming. But when he didn't smell the scent of salty tears, he raised an eyebrow again. But he did sense something... frustration. Sighing, he decided now would be a good time to do his duty and watch after the pup.

Toboe's head sprung up when he heard the footsteps coming towards him. He didn't even have to look in the steps direction to know it was Tsume. He memorized the sound of the other male's walk in both forms. Strong yet gentle, sure yet uneasy. The steps of someone who didn't trust anyone, someone who was always on edge. He put his head back onto his knees and waited for the steps to stop.

"What the hell are you doing?" Tsume asked coldly when he stopped beside the pup.

Toboe shifted uncomfortably and looked down at the ground, "N-nothing..." He stuttered out. He hated lying, and he rarely, if ever, did it. But sometimes a little fib was needed.

Tsume saw right through his white lie and sighed in aggrivation. He sat down beside the pup and eyed him with cold, golden-yellow eyes. "The truth would be nice, runt. What exactly are you up to?"

Brown eyes snapped towards Tsume. Toboe knew what that tone meant; he was caught. He couldn't lie to Tsume, and he couldn't run away from the scene. In short, he was screwed. "I-- I mean... You see..." The younger wolf rubbed at his shoulder sheepishly as he tried desperately to avoid Tsume's question.

"Just spit it out!" Tsume demanded and caused Toboe to jump.

Toboe frowned now, "I was trying to... trying to, uhm..."

This wasn't going to go anywhere unless Tsume started to pull teeth. And the grey wolf really didn't want to lash out like that at Toboe. Calming the anger that had been building up since this whole thing started, he forced out through gritted teeth, "you came out here to reminisce, didn't you?"

"Uhm, no. Not exactly, anyway," Toboe mumbled, putting his his chin against his knees again.

"Ah," Tsume said with a sigh. So he had guessed right. The pup had been trying to pet himself earlier. Tsume looked at the youngest wolf in their pack and studied his profile. Dark brown hair framed the cherub like features. Big brown eyes stared ahead sadly, and small but full lips formed a small frown. The older wolf sighed inwardly again and reached out, placing a hand atop the boy's head. "Stop pouting."

Toboe fought his every instinct not to lean up against the male's hand atop his head. "I'm not pouting," he murmured as he felt Tsume's hand starting to stroke his hair softly.

Tsume let a small grin claim his lips, "and now you're lying. Horribly, at that, runt."

Toboe winced and peeked at Tsume from the corner of his eye. "Sorry." He had a sheepish smile on his face.

"Yeah, yeah. Quit it before this gets mushy or somethin', kid." Tsume grinned a little more, stopping his hand's movement.

After a moment, Toboe reached up to brush Tsume's hand away. As good as it felt to have a hand resting on his head like that, he didn't want Tsume to think he depended on it that much. At the same time he spread his legs out in front of him and looked at the older wolf. "You didn't have to come and check on me, Tsume."

"I came to see if you were still alive. Never know what's following us these days," he mumbled, lying through his teeth. He'd die before he showed he really cared about the wolf cub.

Toboe let a disappointed smile play across his lips, "yeah, I know. But really, I would have been fine. And if anything had happened, I would have called for you guys."

Tsume looked down, formulating a come back. When nothing came to mind, his usual silence sounded like a good idea. After a few seconds his eyes travelled along Toboe's legs. His gaze stopped and locked onto a small tear in the other wolf's pantleg. "What happened?"

Toboe blinked and looked at Tsume, "Huh?" When Tsume merely glared at the boy, Toboe looked down at his legs and suddenly remembered the minor injury he had obtained while they travelled. "Oh that..."

"Yeah, 'that'. How did 'that' happen?" Tsume asked, covering the urgency in his voice with anger.

Toboe rubbed his arm sheepishly as he spoke. "Just before we found this place... Back when we were going through that rocky canion... I guess I hit my leg on one of the sharper rocks." He shrugged as though it meant nothing.

"Why didn't you tell any of us?" Tsume growled at the younger boy, putting a hand on to his shoulder roughly.

Toboe's brown eyes softened considerably as he looked Tsume directly in the eye. "I didn't want to slow the pack down... And anyway, it's really..." He stopped speaking for a moment as he watched Tsume sigh and then lean down. "It's really...n-nothing..." he whimpered as Tsume's tongue came into contact with his wound. His eyes widened as Tsume returned an act of kindness Toboe had showed him long ago, just a few days after they had met.

Toboe took in a deep breath suddenly. The burning sting of Tsume's saliva against his wound was subsiding. In fact it felt good now. Really good... Toboe's eyes became heavy as he watched the older wolf nurse his minor injury. This was something like the kind of attention he had wanted... but he had never imagined being caressed could feel so good. There had been that one time Cheza had made him moan by rubbing his ankle, his weak spot. But this... this was amazing. It felt nothing like any kind of touch he had ever been given. It calmed him, yet he felt like he had energy to spare. He was shivering, but his nerves were on fire. His body was warm inside and out, but yet his palms were sweating.

Tsume glanced up for a moment. And quickly pulled back to see the boy was flushed. He wiped his mouth of what little blood had soaked through the wound and stained his lips. He looked back down at the wound on instinct and noticed it stopped bleeding. He then noticed a small bulge in the crotch of Toboe's cargo pants. Golden eyes widened as he noted the eager twitch of the boy's growing erection. _'Aww, shit.'_ Tsume thought to himself as he slumped back against the tree again. He elbowed Toboe.

"Ow! Tsume!" He whined and grasped at his side. The bulge quickly deflated as Toboe was snapped out of trance like state he had been in and was now focused on the ache in his side.

"Stop whining," Tsume mumbled, not looking at the pup. Toboe frowned. After a moment he sighed and changed into his wolf form.

"Not gonna try and pet yourself again, are you, runt?" Tsume grinned as he felt the shift of forms.

Toboe felt his muzzle get warm with blush under his fur and quickly shook his head as he lay himself down. "No! I mean... I was not!"

"I saw you do it." Tsume admitted. Though he wasn't hiding anything to begin with, he just hadn't had a reason to tell the pup he knew what he was up to.

He should have been angry that Tsume had ended up following him in the long run, but instead he felt more shamed. Toboe's ears fell back against his head as though he had just been scolded. He braced himself for a lecture or yelling or anything else Tsume was about to unleash on him. He saw Tsume raise his hand and quickly squeezed his eyes shut tightly, whimpering.

"Oh stop it." Tsume mumbled through clenched teeth as he put his hand to the pup's head. He started to stroke his hand through the fine but thick fur that covered Toboe's cranium. Toboe relaxed after a moment and he opened his eyes to glance up at Tsume. The older wolf wasn't smiling, he didn't even look very pleased to be doing this. It didn't take much for Toboe to figure out Tsume must have hated treating him like "an obediant dog". But Tsume's touch was gentle and it contradicted his angry expression. Going with his instinct, Toboe slowly shifted and let his head rest on Tsume's lap. When Tsume didn't object to this and continued to pet him, the pup closed his eyes, melting into the older wolf's touch.

Tsume's touch wasn't like the old woman's. It was stonger, and a lot faster while the old woman's was very soft and a lot slower. Toboe found it somewhat amusing how Tsume's touch was so different, yet it made him feel the same. He knew that it was because to him, a human's touch was a God-sent. Ok, so Tsume wasn't a human. But right now, he _felt_ like one. And that was all that mattered.

Tsume sighed as he watched his hand stroke against the brown fur. He didn't like doing this. He hated treating Toboe the way the old woman would have. Like a pet. But... somewhere in the back of his mind, Tsume would be the first to admit that petting the pup did feel kind of... nice. Comforting. Tsume's hand moved from Toboe's head, now stroking along his back and neck. This made the pup nuzzle up against his stomach, Tsume tensed in responsed. The older male wasn't used to physical contact, and the sudden affectionate action the pup had shown him. It made him nervous. He didn't like affection... That horrid thing came alongside friendship and other such emotional bonds...

"Tsume... why'd you stop?" Toboe's voice snapped Tsume out of his reverie. He hadn't even noticed his hand stopped moving.

"I was...thinking," Tsume mumbled, starting up his actions again.

"About?" Toboe was dreading on thin ice, but he felt secure enough to ask such a question now.

Tsume glared down at the pup for a moment then sighed. "Nevermind. It was nothing." His hand moved a little lower, rubbing along Toboe's lower back in attempt to distract the younger wolf. It worked affectively. Toboe let out a small, contented whimper as Tsume's hand stroked the small of his back.

The older wolf let his hand travel with a mind of it's own now. Without subconscious will or thought, Tsume's hand slid a little lower, rubbing the base of Toboe's tail. The pup whimpered again, Tsume continued without hesitation. He hadn't noticed until now just how warm the pup's body was, or how fine the thick fur covering Toboe's body was. He let his mind drift into other realities while his hand drifted across the firm base of Toboe's tail.

"Tsume..." Toboe almost panted as he lifted his head lazily to look up at Tsume. The older wolf hadn't appeared to have heard him, continuing to pet him like Toboe hadn't even moved. The pup raised his brow and shifted back into his human form. Now he lay out on his stomach with his head against Tsume's lap. A small blush spread on his cheeks as Tsume's hand continued to move against him. Only now it wasn't his tail that was being rubbed but his arse. "Uhm, Tsume..."

Tsume left behind his rather out of character thoughts when he finally heard Toboe calling him. It was the sudden feel of rough material instead of fur against his hand that made him snap his gaze down to the younger wolf. He looked down to his hand which was currently resting on Toboe's arse and then looked to the boy's face. Toboe's cheeks were stained pink and his brow was furrowed uneasily. Like before when he...

When Tsume went to pull his hand away, Toboe reached back and held it to his backside. "It...heh...it feels nice..." He bit against his lip as he made such a bold statement to the older wolf. He may have been a child, but he was learning what being sexual was. He was maturing, after all.

Tsume looked at his hand, then to Toboe's face again. He had every right to smack this kid upside the head and tell him to stop thinking like that... But then again, only moments before he had been thinking the same kind of thoughts.

He took a breath and smirked a little. Without saying a word Tsume slipped his hand under Toboe and urged the pup to turn over. Toboe did so obediantely. Tsume hadn't expected a fight, but a little resistance would have made this a little more fun... With Toboe on his back now, Tsume placed his hand at the waist of his pants, playing his belt undone. When the annoying piece of leather was unbound and out of the way, Tsume wasted no time in explore the pup's nether regions.

Not far away, two wolves stayed hidden behind some decaying brush. Hige closed his eyes when he saw what Tsume was doing to Toboe. "I don't wanna see this!"

"Hey, coming out here was your idea." Kiba retorted, turning his back to the new-found lovers and glancing dulling over at Hige. "You insisted we 'check on them'."

"I wanted to make sure the runt would come out of this alive!" Hige retorted, lying through his teeth. It was no secret he had wanted to spy for the sake of spying. Apparently, he had bitten off more than he could chew this time.

A sudden low growl followed by a high pitched howl made Hige cringe and block his ears. He didn't need to hear the howling and panting of his companions during their new found mating fest. Kiba smirked at Hige, "I think he'll come out just fine."

-End


End file.
